Shipping and display container



C. W. WOLFE June 23, 1964 Filed' Aug. 16, 1961 CARL w. WOLFE B United States Patent 3,138,246 SHHPPENG AND DISPLAY CQNTAHNER Carl W. Wolfe, Downers Grove, 11]., assignor to Armour and Company, (Ihicago, 113., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 131,963 1 Claim. (Ci. 206-4518) This invention relates to a shipping and display container, and more particularly to a shipping and display container adapted to accommodate various products, including sliced cheese, sliced luncheon meats, etc. It will be understood, however, that the container is useful for other types of products.

In the shipment and sale of various packaged food products and other products, it is desired to ship the products in a relatively deep and sturdy container which will eifectively house the goods and, when the products are to be sold at the retail outlet, it is desired to provide a simple and very inexpensive means for displaying the individual products in a prominent and readily accessible position, utilizing the shipping container for such display.

A primary object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a container which is useful for the shipping of the products and thereafter, by a very simple change, providing a means for displaying the products. A further object is to provide a container of unique construction in which the depth of the container is utilized for housing the product while at the same time utilizing a false bottom or platform within the bottom of the container for display of the products in an inclined position. A still further object is to provide a structure in which the case or box container may be utilized, independently of a cover, for the display of the contents or" the container. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which- FIGURE 1 is a broken perspective view of a container and display device embodying my invention; and FIG. 2, a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the container filled with the products to be displayed and with the products supported in display relation.

In the illustration given, A designates a container open at its top and having a bottom panel 14), side walls 11 and end panels 12. One of the end panels is provided with a slit or notch 13. The box may be formed of corrugated fiberboard or of any other suitable rigid material.

Resting within the bottom of the container A is a platform B which has the same general configuration of the box bottom 1% but is spaced at one end from the box end 12. At a spaced distance from the end 12, the platform B is hingedly anchored to the bottom It by a thin flexible flat hinge 14. The hinge may be formed of paper, fabric, etc., and may be anchored to the platform B and bottom by adhesive or any other suitable means. The platform may be formed of boxboard or any other suitable material, and at its free end 15, the board B is apertured to receive a tie cord 16 which extends upwardly along the inside of the box A and then outwardly into the notch or slit 13.

Packaged within the box A are blocks 17 representing sliced cheese or any other form of product or article.

It will be understood that the container A may be used with any convenient telescope-type cover or lid (not shown), and, if desired, may be provided with flap closures, etc., or with flap closures in addition to the cover or lid.

In the operation of the structure, the platform or false ice bottom B is allowed to lie flat against the container bottom 149, where it occupies a minimum of space, and it is held in position by the thin flat hinge strap 14-. While in this position, the articles 17 may be placed in position for shipment, and upon covering and Wrapping, the package may be shipped to the desired retail destination. At the retail center where the articles or products are to be displayed, the operator draws the tie cord 16 upwardly to the position illustrated best in FIG. 2, thereby moving each of the products or articles 17 to the stepped display position shown in FIG. 2. While the draw cord engages only the center portion of the platform B, the side walls 11 of the container guide the platform as it rises while also keeping the products 17 in aligned position. The flat hinge strip 14 further aids in the guiding of the platform, and the hinge strip is further reinforced by engagernent with the block or product members 17 which rest upon the segments of the hinge 14, as illustrated best in FIG. 2. Thus, even though the thin flat hinge 14 is made of paper or other like material, effective hinge action is accomplished because the hinge segments are reinforced by the articles resting upon the hinge segments.

The display position shown in FIG. 2 is accomplished in a minimum of time and with a minimum of effort because the operator need only draw the outwardly-extending portion of the tie cord 16 upwardly and then downwardly within the slit 13 to latch the cord in place. The

egree of slope and elevation of the platform B is controlled by selective positioning of the cord 16 in the notch or slit 13.

In the foregoing structure, the display operation can be accomplished without utilizing the cover or other parts and without the use of panels which occupy substantial space within the container.

While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a single embodiment of the invention in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be understood that such detail or details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A container for shipping articles and displaying all of them simultaneously in stepped relation without removal from said container, comprising a box having deep side and end walls and a bottom wall, one of said end walls having a notch in the top portion thereof, a rigid article-supporting platform conforming to the shape of said bottom wall but slightly smaller than the said bottom wall, a fiat, flexible strip secured to one end of said platform and to said bottom wall near the end thereof opposite said notched end wall whereby articles placed within said container rest upon and reinforce said flexible strip, and a tie cord secured to the opposite end of said platform adjacent said notched end wall, said tie cord normally extending from the inside of the box through said notch in the end wall and outwardly therefrom and being adapted to be drawn upwardly for inclining said platform and downwardly for anchoring said platform in inclined positions by frictionally engaging tie cord in said notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 892,661 Gottschalk July 7, 1908 1,563,056 Williams et al Nov. 24, 1925 1,718,277 CrOWell June 25, 1929 2,197,066 Brody Apr. 16, 1940 2,308,284 Ibach Ian. 12, 1943 2,533,577 Godfrey Dec. 12, 1950 

